DYSU Challenge 88, Birthday

The challenge this week over at DYSU is to create a project with a birthday theme. A stash of birthday cards is always a good thing to have.Come on over to DYSU and show off your birthday creations!

 

The Stamps of Life

* Winner's Choice of 2 Stamp Sets

 

I used a little row of houses from the houses4us stamp set from our generous sponsor, The Stamps of Life. Wow, I love this set! It's so fun and versatile! I was really drawn to this small row of houses from the set and stepped away from the typical "scene" I normally create with house stamps. I stamped the row of houses twice, colored and cut out the first image and popped up the 2 outer houses on top of the base image. Pretty simple card but I'm pleased with it.

DYSU Challenge #87, Back To School

Time for another fun challenge over at DYSU. This week we're challenging you to create with a school theme. So many of us are busy getting our kids settled into the new school year or getting them ready to start back soon, that this seems like a perfect time for this challenge.  Hop on over to DYSU and play along for a chance to win some great prizes from our generous sponsors.

Our Generous Sponsors 

Can You Digi It

* $10 Gift Certificate

My Heart Pieces

* Winner's Choice of 3 Digis

Melonheadz Illustrating

* $15 Gift Certificate

I have a high school senior this year. How in the world did that happen?! I am so proud of my boy. He has overcome many obstacles to get to this point. As I've said before, growing up with autism is not for sissies. Now if I could just get him to smile for pictures.

We have lived in our community his entire life, and as you can imagine, we know a lot of kids that will be graduating this year right along with him. So I've been making graduation cards occasionally since last spring. I should have plenty by next spring if I keep on track. That's the plan anyway and this week's challenge was perfect for me! Come on over to DYSU and join in the fun. I can't wait to see what you make!

DYSU Challenge #86, Fantasy

It's time for a new challenge over at DYSU. Isn't the inspiration pic amazing?! Like! Hop on over to DYSU and link us to your fantasy creation.I can't wait to see what you create!

Through the Craftroom Door

* One Year PDF subscription

The Stamping Boutique

* Winner's Choice of 3 Digis

A Day For Daisies

* $16 Gift Certificate

I had the pleasure of using this adorable Rainy Cynthia digital image from The Stamping Boutique. There are several Fairy Cynthia images and they are all fab!

Hopping with Buttons!

This week's sponsors:

Winner's Choice of 5 Digital Stamps

$10 Gift Certificate

Winner's Choice of 5 Digital Images

Buttons, buttons, who's got the buttons? I'm pretty sure we all have buttons and most of us use them in our paper crafting quite often. So this week's DYSU challenge should be fun for one and all! Be sure to link us up to your creations over at DYSU to have a chance to win one of the wonderful prizes offered by our generous sponsors! I can't wait to see what you create!

We are combining this challenge with a blog hop in honor of our talented departing DYSU design team member Meredith. We will certainly miss her personally and creatively. Wishing you all the best Meredith!

If you've arrived here from the DYSU blog, here is a complete list of the blog hop participants. You may want to start at the beginning so you don't miss anything!

• Archana
• Barb
• Denise
• Jan
• Joan
• Guest Designer Marcy
• Mary -<-- you are here
• Pandy
• Pauline
• Ren-Yi
• Wenche
• Meredith

If you've arrived here from the lovely and talented Marcy's blog, welcome to the next stop along the hop! Wasn't her bright and fun card amazing?! She always has had a way with color! 

I chose to use a sewing theme for my card. I used patterned papers papers from the DCWV "Crafty" paper pack. I used a pinking edge die, some floss around the spool of thread and a cute little pun for the sentiment. Finished it off with the tiniest buttons I had in my stash and some faux stitching.

Hop on over to my favorite calligrapher, Pandy, to see the lovely button creation she has waiting for you! Pandy creates her own sentiments with her gorgeous calligraphy, which adds that beautiful something special to her creations. You will love the sentiment she created for her card! Have fun!

Hip To Be Square

I can't believe it's been 25 years since this song was released! Life sure does fly! When I saw the challenge this week over at CAS-ual Fridays was to create a square card, this song popped in my head, so I rolled with it for my card. With my luck the challenge next week will be "Inspired by a song". lol Square cards are fun to make. Hop on over to CAS-ual Fridays and join in the hip fun!

DYSU Challenge #84, Anything With 4 Legs

Time for a fun challenge over at DYSU this week! The challenge is to create a project with a 4 legged friend. We all have, or know someone who has, a 4 legged friend. I look forward to seeing some fantastic creations this week!Come on over to DYSU, get inspired by the fun Design Team creations and link us to yours!

Birdie Brown

* Winner's Choice of 3 Digital Stamps

The Paper Shelter

* $20 Gift Certificate

Bugaboo Stamps

* Winner's Choice of 7 Digis

I had the pleasure of using the adorable Moo-Moo digital set by Birdie Brown for this week's challenge. Isn't this cow just too cute? The cow, flowers and fence are all part of the set, along with another cow image. So versatile and fun!

Let's take flight!

The challenge over at CAS-ual Fridays this week is to create a project with something you might see in the sky. I had an idea that frustrated me for hours and ended up in the trash. It sure sounded good in my head though.

I ended up grabbing this scrap of polka dot paper left on my desk from an earlier project and just rolled with it. Trust me...it's much better than my original card. lol

Hop on over to CAS-ual Fridays and see all the amazing cards created for this challenge. There are so many terrific ideas to get your mojo going!

DYSU Challenge #83, Polka Dots

It's time for another fun challenge over at DYSU! We want to see polka dots in your creations this week. Hop on over to DYSU and join in the fun!

Our sponsors this week-

Broken Box Stock

* A "Toodle Club Membership" and a free Toodle Birthday Calendar.  Total prize package is a $29 value.

Stamp & Create

* $25 Gift Certificate

I started out wanting to create a card using the fabulous, bold, black and white polka dot in our inspiration pic but I got distracted by a new Authentique paper pad sitting on my desk. I just love the yellows, greys, black and white color combos of these papers! The sun's rays are stamped with the  PTI Hello Sunshine set and the sentiment is from the PTI  Lovely Leaves set.

The day I made this I had spent several hours crafting with a friend. She has been helping me with some quilts I've been making this summer and I have been making cards for her in return. We don't often get to spend so much time together, but this summer has been an exception! The sentiment fit the design of the card and my feelings too. 

Come on over and see some of the other fabulous creations by the talented design team at DYSU. Then link us up to your polka dot creation! 

Lime, Aqua and Navy

Lime, aqua and navy are the colors to be used in your project for this week's CAS-ual Fridays challenge. Today was the first day I've had time to play in my scrap room for quite a while and I decided to give this challenge a try. Probably not a color combo I would have gravitated to, but I'm glad I found some time to play with it. Hop on over to CAS-ual Fridays and join in the fun!

Some day I'll learn how to stamp straight. lol

Babies R Fun!

I just found out a week ago that I'm going to be a great aunty to a new baby GIRL this fall! Woo hoo! I can't wait-it was so much fun to shop in the baby girl dept when my daughter was little-I can't wait to get back to it. lol

They are having a "Baby Shower" challenge over at Runway Inspired Challenge this week. I loved the baby girl inspiration pic (and the baby boy pic too) and since I now have an excuse to make girly stuff, I decided to try a freebie template that I had downloaded a while back from Stampington & Company. Hop on over and join the fun. There are lots of darling projects to ooh and ahh over.

DYSU Challenge #82, Friendship

It's time for another fun challenge over at DYSU. This week the challenge is all about friendship. 

Our Sponsors this week

Pink Gem

* Winner's Choice of 3 Digis

Little Darlings Rubber Stamps

* $10 Gift Certificate

Floppy Latte Digital Designs -  http://www.floppylattedesigns.com/catalog/

* $10 Gift Certificate

I got to use this fabulous Pink Gem Design Keep Calm and Drink Wine digital stamp. It really cracks me up with the wine glass for the letter I and the tilted letters of the word wine. How fun! I have a friend that loves a daily glass of wine so this will make its way to her.

 Come on over to DYSU and play in our Friendship challenge. There are some terrific projects created by my talented fellow design team members. Come on over, take a look and join in the fun!

Oceans of Fun

Had a few minutes yesterday while the kids were at the movies to play in my scrap room. I decided to try the CAS-ual Fridays challenge to use strips of color or pattern. I had gone to a scrapbook expo last weekend and bought a fun Stampin' Up stamp set and wanted to ink it up. I used strips along the side of the card and it kind of looks like patterned paper-cool. Hop on over to CAS-ual Fridays and check out the fun creations using strips!

DYSU Challenge #81- Food

Doesn't this berry filled treat look delicious? Nothing better than the fresh fruits of summer. Our challenge this week over at DYSU is to use food as the inspiration for your creation. Hop on over to DYSU and join in the yummy challenge!

Meljen's Designs

* Winner's Choice of 4 Images

Wonderstrange Arts

* 5 Digital Stamps (not from sets)

Rhoda Design Studio

* $15 Gift Certificate

I could live on ice cream in the summer. It is near the top of my fave foods list. I can't buy it very often as I've passed this love on to my kids and a gallon will disappear from our freezer in no time. Sigh... I used a Papertrey Ink stamp set with some MME papers to create this card. Making a card with an image of ice cream makes me want to head to the store. lol

DYSU Challenge #80 Cool Colors

With all the HOT weather hanging around lately, a challenge to use cool colors sounds perfect to me! Hop on over to DYSU and join us for this week's challenge!

Our generous sponsors this week are-

The Stamping Boutique

* Winner's Choice of 3 Digis 

Copic Maker Scrapbooking

* 6 copic ciao marker (North/South America), Martha Stewart punch (rest of the world)

Scrapper's Delight

* $5 Gift Certificate

I got to use this oh so fun Steampunk Hot Air Balloon image from our sponsor Copic Marker Scrapbooking for my project this week. I just can't do steampunk style, but as you can see this image works with a variety of styles. I added a cute little saying I found online and thought this might make a unique graduation or congrats card. Come on over to DYSU and join in the fun!

DYSU Challenge #79- Red

It's time for another fun challenge over at  DYSU. This week's challenge is to use red in your creation. Red can convey everything from whimsy to elegance. So get your thinking caps on and show us what you can do with red! Hop on over to DYSU to see what the talented Design Team has created for inspiration and to link us up to your creations.

The Ribbon Reel - http://www.theribbonreel.co.uk/

* £10 Gift Certificate

Paper Pretties - http://paperpretties.net/

* Winner’s Choice of 6 Images

Inspired Stamps - www.inspiredstamps.com

* $15 Store Credit

I used this oh so adorable His Little Ones: Patriotic Girl With Heart from our generous sponsor Inspired Stamps. Each and every His Little Ones stamp from Inspired Stamps is precious! Go check them out.
 

I combined the Romans 10:17 scripture stamp with the Flower Buds stamp set, both from Inspired Stamps, for my next card. I masked and stamped repeatedly two of the roses from the Flower Buds set to create a floral background. I then stamped two of the larger buds on some scraps, colored them, then cut and layered to create a dimensional flower. I sprayed the red flower with pearl mist for some shimmer. I love this scripture and think the beauty of the rose is a perfect match for it.